Great Story !, I remember you from a number of productions we were on together, i was in Previs on Rings, under Mark Stetson for a while (got him to sign my Bladerunner poster) Nice to catch up with your channel! i didn't realize you worked on those paintings in 5th element, some of my all time fave shots.
Hey Kyle, then we must have crossed paths on LOTR for sure! Small world! I see you worked on Superman Returns too. We must have followed Mark around like a bad smell!! 😂
Awesome explanation on mattes! Best I've seen on youtube. And the 5fth element still looks awesome, I can't believe the backgrounds are paintings. I'd love to see how you painted them
LOL! I'm surprised there is any explanation of mattes anywhere these days to be honest! Just to be clear, all of the matte paintings in TFE are digital, not traditional. Basic flat 2D paintings for the most part, but digital. I'm not exactly sure but I would lay money on the fact that it was one of, if not the first film to incorporate all digital mattes. Titanic came out after 5th and it had the last ever traditional matte painting by Matte World Digital.
Your work on the Fifth Element, along with the works of Iain McCaig and Doug Chiang on Star Wars, especially Phantom Menace has been a life-long inspiration for me, and now 4 years ago at the tender age of 32 I finally jumped into the world of digital art, and have been creating my own concepts, especially character concepts. It's been an educational ride considering I'm self-taught. It's definitely a tough business to crack into, getting a chance to prove yourself without first accumulating a massive body of work is almost impossible. The world of digital and concept art has become oversaturated in the last 10-15 years, and it seems like almost everyone wants to do concepts and art for games, movies, etc.
Hey thanks for the comment! If it makes you feel any better, I was 28 when I got that job at Digital Domain and 29 when I started there, so in that regard, not that far off from where I was. Without knowing your situation, you might be in a good place to just quietly build up skills and develop your portfolio 'without' the stress of trying to get work whilst building your folio. The illustrator Greg Manchess once talked about everyone trying to be original, but the trick was to just be authentic with your work and more often than not, that's what will set you apart. Just do your thing... and leave open the opportunity for other industries/clients to come into your sphere. eg, Book cover illustration, the music industry, card games etc. And it is very kind of you to mention my work in the same sentence as those two legendary artists! I have always looked to Ralph McQuarrie as he was not only an illustrator, concept artist, but he was briefly also a matte painter, which I have an eternal soft spot for!
@@ankaris5129 I understand completely what you mean, sir. By the way, I also sent you a message on ArtStation, where I could go into more detail. Thank you again!
Great story! Sometimes being in the right place at the right time can help your career immensely. But I think the best part of the story is that of your determination, which put you in the right place at the right time.
Thank you! Yes, I suppose what I didn’t communicate here was the many year effort involved. What’s that old saying, it took me 20 years to become an overnight success!
That's funny because a lot of 3D guys I met on the production were ex architects looking to stretch their architectural legs in ways they couldn't as actual architects! A lot of set designers in the film industry came along that path.
This is an amazing story!
Thanks for sharing!
Great Story !, I remember you from a number of productions we were on together, i was in Previs on Rings, under Mark Stetson for a while (got him to sign my Bladerunner poster) Nice to catch up with your channel! i didn't realize you worked on those paintings in 5th element, some of my all time fave shots.
Hey Kyle, then we must have crossed paths on LOTR for sure! Small world! I see you worked on Superman Returns too. We must have followed Mark around like a bad smell!! 😂
Awesome explanation on mattes! Best I've seen on youtube. And the 5fth element still looks awesome, I can't believe the backgrounds are paintings. I'd love to see how you painted them
LOL! I'm surprised there is any explanation of mattes anywhere these days to be honest!
Just to be clear, all of the matte paintings in TFE are digital, not traditional. Basic flat 2D paintings for the most part, but digital. I'm not exactly sure but I would lay money on the fact that it was one of, if not the first film to incorporate all digital mattes. Titanic came out after 5th and it had the last ever traditional matte painting by Matte World Digital.
@@ankaris5129 wow good to know.I was a big fan of TFE when it came out
What a beautiful story yours is!!!
Your work on the Fifth Element, along with the works of Iain McCaig and Doug Chiang on Star Wars, especially Phantom Menace has been a life-long inspiration for me, and now 4 years ago at the tender age of 32 I finally jumped into the world of digital art, and have been creating my own concepts, especially character concepts. It's been an educational ride considering I'm self-taught.
It's definitely a tough business to crack into, getting a chance to prove yourself without first accumulating a massive body of work is almost impossible. The world of digital and concept art has become oversaturated in the last 10-15 years, and it seems like almost everyone wants to do concepts and art for games, movies, etc.
Hey thanks for the comment! If it makes you feel any better, I was 28 when I got that job at Digital Domain and 29 when I started there, so in that regard, not that far off from where I was.
Without knowing your situation, you might be in a good place to just quietly build up skills and develop your portfolio 'without' the stress of trying to get work whilst building your folio. The illustrator Greg Manchess once talked about everyone trying to be original, but the trick was to just be authentic with your work and more often than not, that's what will set you apart. Just do your thing... and leave open the opportunity for other industries/clients to come into your sphere. eg, Book cover illustration, the music industry, card games etc.
And it is very kind of you to mention my work in the same sentence as those two legendary artists! I have always looked to Ralph McQuarrie as he was not only an illustrator, concept artist, but he was briefly also a matte painter, which I have an eternal soft spot for!
@@ankaris5129 I understand completely what you mean, sir. By the way, I also sent you a message on ArtStation, where I could go into more detail. Thank you again!
This really is a great story. Thank you for sharing it. I loved your idea of being prepared to jump on opportunities. Very good advice.
Inspiring video from start to finish. Love your work.
Great story!
Great story! Sometimes being in the right place at the right time can help your career immensely.
But I think the best part of the story is that of your determination, which put you in the right place at the right time.
Thank you! Yes, I suppose what I didn’t communicate here was the many year effort involved. What’s that old saying, it took me 20 years to become an overnight success!
I became an architect based in the 5th element and other films during that era of film! Thanks for sharing this!!
That's funny because a lot of 3D guys I met on the production were ex architects looking to stretch their architectural legs in ways they couldn't as actual architects! A lot of set designers in the film industry came along that path.
damn! i am a huge fan of your work and I did not know who you were! i am so glad the algorithm showed me your channel
Awesome, thank you! Glad to have you along!
Fantastic video Wayne. What a fantastic bit of luck - albeit one made possible by your determination to get to where you wanted to be.
Cheers ol' boy! Yes, I think at the end of the day, the lucky part was meeting a bunch of great people that I enjoyed working with.